Greenland - What a Wonderful World

Facts about holidaying
in Greenland (part 4/10)

Holiday Options

Updated February 1996


This information is provided by Greenland Tourism a/s, the official tourist board of Greenland

Round trips
Dog-sled rides
Hillwalking


Greenland, if anywhere, is the place with opportunities for taking an active holiday and submitting to the challenge of unique natural scenery. This form of holiday appeals to those who demand great experiences rather than great comfort.


Round trips

Round trips in Greenland are a popular form of travel. Ready-packaged round trips are arranged in South Greenland especially, with stopovers in two or three places, and in Disko Bay with stays in Ilulissat combined with Uummannaq or Qasigiannguit.

Another option is "Around Disko Bay", where in the space of one week you will manage to take in both towns and villages as well as the great variation in natural scenery. The round trip is done by ship, with overnight accommodation in a tent, and every day offers a new opportunity to "explore" a particular topic, e.g. Inuit prehistory, ice or whales. There are also activities ashore and opportunities for fishing.

Of course, you can also make your own round trip, combining options by air and ship. It is important to realize that summer is also the time when people in Greenland travel a lot domestically. It would therefore be advisable to book seats and berths on planes and ships in good time.

For smaller groups who wants to travel together - and travel off the beaten track - there is always the option of chartering vessels on a daily and weekly basis. Certain ships have overnight
accommodation facilities on board for eight to twelve persons, while others simply have lounge facilities,in which case you spend the night in tents or in the towns.

Price level:

Hotel-based round trip in South Greenland, 8 days from Copenhagen from
approx. US $ 1.900.

Round trip by ship in Disko Bay, eight days from Copenhagen, from
approx. US $2.900.

Charter vessel sleeping twelve overnight passengers, per day
incl. six hours' sailing: approx. US $1.400.

Contact the tourist office in the desired port of departure for more detailed information on the charter vessels available.



Dog-sled rides

Four sled-dogsDog sled

Greenland is the proper place to ride on a dog-sled.

The dog-sled is a necessary means of transport for sealers and fishers who put out their nets and long-lines from the ice to catch seals and fish and lug their catch of several hundred kilos home on the sled.

Dog-sled holidays are on offer north of Sisimiut and on the east coast only. In actual fact, you can ride by dog-sled as soon as the snow has fallen and the fjords have frozen over, but the months of March, April and May are preferable, as the light has again returned and the temperature has risen.

Taking a hotel stay as your starting point, you can choose sled tours of a half and a whole day's duration, and routes can be mapped out to match whatever shape you're in. A trip across the flat fjord ice, for instance, is almost like driving a car.

On trips crossing over mountains, you must be prepared to dismount from the sledge when the going gets steep. Trips lasting several days can also be arranged; during this time, you will spend the night in sealing cabins or a tent en route. Often, the tent is pitched over the sled and sleeping is done on the hide-covered sled.

The individual tourist office and hotel can provide further information about locally available options and facilities for renting warm fur clothing.

Price pointers:

Eight hours' sled ride from approx. US $180.
Sled ride with overnight stay from approx. US $250 per day.



Hillwalking

Hillwalking in Greenland differs from the hillwalking experiences in Scandinavian, central European and other hiking areas, owing to the very limited assistance available in Greenland, such as for example marked paths, designated routes, signposting, bridges and suchlike. But for anyone fond of rambling in an untamed, magnificent wilderness, Greenland is the ideal place.

A sensible attitude to adopt is the assumption of being left completely to one's own devices. Even in the most civilized hiking areas of Greenland, shops, telephones and buildings are thin on the ground.

A rucksack containing all your equipment, like a tent, sleeping bag, groundsheet, cooking gear and fuel, clothing, direction-finding aids, safety equipment, emergency help and supplies for several days will often end up weighing 15-20 kilos. Add to that: binoculars, camera, fishing tackle and that book for a rainy day or two.

It always pays to study maps, itineraries and other information thoroughly before choosing which area to hike in.

Deep fjords, glacier spits and virtually impassable meltwater rivers criss-cross the country between the inland ice and the coast. This will seriously cramp your style, and those areas which are accessible are divided by nature herself into larger or smaller chunks.

As a rule, the easiest thing is to advance in an east-westerly direction.

The most extensively described, best developed and most easily accessible hiking areas in Greenland are on the South Greenlandic peninsulas and in the region around Kangerlussuaq. The route between Kangerlussuaq and Sisimiut is one of Greenland's classics. More demanding are terrain types such as the area north-east of Nanortalik, the interior of Godthaab Fjord and the areas to the north and south of Ilulissat.

Ammassalik in East Greenland, the Nuussuaq Peninsula and Disko are considered tasks for the really nimble hillwalkers and mountain-climbers. The localities mentioned are just examples. Nearly everywhere in Greenland, you can hike and enjoy fantastic experiences providing that your physical condition, sense of direction and experience are up to scratch.


E-mail Greenland Tourism a/s

Next page

Top of page
Greenland Tourism Info-desk
Greenland Guide Index

Provided by Greenland Guide & Greenland Tourism
http://www.greenland-guide.dk